Final Fantasy XXVI Datalog
by sora945
Summary: This is the official datalog describing Lightning's journey set after the events of Final Fantasy XIII. Waking in an ark from her crystal form, she is left with many questions. The Cocoon fal'Cie are hatching a new plot with a new target - the human race.
1. Prologue: Snow's Wedding and Awakening

XXVI – The Datalog

**The events that occur in this story were recovered from the datalog of Miss Claire Farron when she was found last month on Mount Antrea. The events that led up to her crystallization and the death of the Primarch are recounted under the heading 'the Twenty-Six days'. The events after her awakening were originally chronicled from Miss Farron's point of view and have been kept unedited and unabridged in this document. They have been divided into twenty-six chapters. We have received full permission from the Farron, Estheim and Katzroy families to publish this document and Dajh Katzroy has led the inquest into the events. So that everything can be understood, we have split up the Twenty-Six days and edited them in at certain points in the text. In this first extract – we cover the wedding of Snow Villiers and Serah Farron on the First Day and the awakening of Claire later on. It is possible that the datalog may be re-released in an official New Sanctum instalment with the permission of the Primarch. Note – Claire is referred to as 'Lightning' in the majority of the text.**

_Prologue: The First Day_

Pulse was lit up by the light shining through the vast crystal pillar that covered the surface of the Natural Font, a clearing in the centre of the vast mountain range that adorned the entirety of Gran Pulse's industrial zone. The dazzling lights covered the wedding that was unfolding between Serah and Snow as they held hands and joined together as one at last.

Lightning was watching from afar, believing that perhaps her long journey was finally over and that she might be able to settle down. She had been approached by the new Primarch not long ago, requesting that she might become the new leader of the Cavalry. Agreeing to this post, she was preparing to depart on a voyage to Oerba where she might find some remnant of the race and some way to restore power to the people now living in the PSICOM camp beneath the crystal tower.

Sazh and his son Dajh were also at the wedding. Dajh asked Sazh about what happened at his own wedding, unaware that the memories were painful for his father. Sazh told him that it was the most wonderful day that he ever had. Dajh wished that he could remember his mother but Sazh told him that he didn't need to – she was right there with him at that very moment.

Hope was at the wedding too with his father Bart who was now suffering from the Pulsian Flu that the citizens of Cocoon had picked up upon landing. His father was in a wheelchair and Hope was forced to push him around. He met with Lightning who told him that she was going away. Upset, Hope told her that he couldn't cope without her. However, Lightning re-assured him that he would be fine and that he was strong enough to take care of himself. Renewed with these words, Hope smiled and wished her good luck.

Snow gave a speech at the end of the wedding about how he was sure that he and Serah would be happy for a long time. They would be working together with the New Sanctum to ensure that all the citizens of Cocoon would be safe on Gran Pulse forever. They had become heroes after the destruction of Orphan and for liberating the humans from fal'Cie, saving them from the schemes of Barthandelus. The datalog had been published with all details about the journey undertaken by Snow, Lightning, Sazh, Hope, Vanille and Fang and how the latter two gave up their lives to save Cocoon.

At the end of the wedding, Lightning approached Snow to wish him goodbye before she left on her journey. Serah thanked her sister and the two embraced. Sazh, Dajh and Hope came to congratulate the Snow and Serah. Together again, they were reminded of the events before and witnessed a shower of crystalline dust around them. Snow took this to be a good omen about events ahead.

_Datalog – Chapter One – Awakening_

I had a dream about my past adventure and the destruction of Orphan. I saw the death of Barthandelus but heard him laughing afterwards. I awoke in a confinement field with no memory of anything that happened since we were reunited with Serah except for the wedding between her and Snow.

I soon realised that I had been a crystal just a few moments before – had I become a new l'Cie at the hands of some Pulse fal'Cie or was there some other reason why I would have been placed in crystal stasis? I did not know but carried no sign of the l'Cie or anything that might give me a clue. I wondered why I had suddenly de-crystallized.

Emerging from my cell, I found myself in a vast corridor of an ark in some mystery location. The whole place was deserted with all the weaponry that we had seen in the Fifth Ark on Cocoon seemingly somewhere else.

I found a minor armoury nearby and armed myself with a Blazefire Saber, some Potions and a few minor accessories. Entering an enormous chamber, I noticed some flans down below. Slipping from the height I was at, I slid down to the bottom and defeated the creatures. I began my advance to search for some escape from the ark that I was in and perhaps some answers as to my plight.


	2. Chapter One: The First Ark

**These events cover the remainder of the file 'Chapter One' and the events that happened on the Second Day when Lightning met with the New Primarch.**

**_Datalog – Chapter One – Out of the Frying Pan_**

I found myself to be equipped with some strange device on my arm – whenever I defeated a monster it absorbed the creatures' remains and stored them as resources. I found myself gradually getting back into the swing of the role as Commando with my sword. I was unable to use magic though, as I was no longer a l'Cie and so no longer possessed the powers that they have.

I found some bodies in the Ark – those of soldiers from PSICOM. They seemed to have been attacked by something – they were covered in claw marks and one of them had been impaled on a centurion blade in the wall. Examining them, I discovered that they were only a few minor defenders. I wondered why they had come into the ark, wherever it was.

I soon found a large control room for the Ark where a number of the switches had been activated a certain period ago, releasing the creatures that lurked inside the structure out. However, they had disappeared now and the room offered no clues as to their whereabouts. I examined the machinery closer and discovered that it too had been ravaged by the same creature that had attacked the soldiers.

I moved ahead with new resolve, now wary that I could be attacked at any moment by the strange creature that appeared to be stalking the ark's corridors. Arming myself with armour from the PSICOM soldiers, I stealthily approached the next of the ark's great domes, bracing myself for whatever might lie ahead.

I was reminded of when they had visited the Fifth Ark before and the way that Barthandelus had used the creatures inside to besiege the city of Eden. The Ark had been concealed beneath the city and nobody had known about from the Sanctum. I recalled how we had seen Cid Raines turn to crystal in front of our very eyes even though his focus had not been fulfilled. Could some unknown Pulse fal'Cie have done the same to me? I did not know but I pressed on.

Even so, I got the strange feeling that something was watching me...hungrily.

**_Datalog – Chapter One – Testament of A Fal'Cie_**

Arriving in another control room, I found that one of the machines in it was still functioning normally. Activating the control panel, I quickly performed a full scan of the ark. There were no human life signs. I also found a number – this was the First Ark, the original ark that had been created by the fal'Cie.

Suddenly, the display sprang to life and a shocking image appeared upon it; that of a dying fal'Cie. The creature revealed itself to be called Diabolos – it was the fal'Cie that built the arks originally. Now, he spoke of the great tragedy that was sweeping the planet. He told me how the fal'Cie on Pulse had been afflicted by a strange disease and were now dying one by one.

Diabolos now showed me a vision of the great heights that the Paddrean Empire had reached on Pulse hundreds of years ago. How they had been brought to their knees when their fal'Cie had been afflicted by the strange sickness and had begun to die. Desperate, they began distributing focus after focus in an attempt to find and destroy the sources of this.

Now, Diabolos had uncovered the truth – there were giant shards of crystal embedded in the core of the planet. He was not sure how they had gotten there but now he was dispatching the entire contents of the First Ark to destroy the shards and cure the fal'Cie of their sickness. Diabolos knew that his time was up but left me with a few final words – Lindzei must be destroyed.

The message terminated and I checked the date on it. It took place hundreds of years ago – probably around the same time that Fang became Ragnarok. I assumed that the mission of the creatures in the Ark had been successful but wondered why I was here if that was indeed the case.

I couldn't stop thinking that a great empire like the Sanctum on Cocoon had once been in control of the whole of Pulse and that a single affliction of the fal'Cie had brought it to its knees. I hoped that things would work out for us humans and that we would be able to survive without the support that we had been given through all our lives.

If we could not, we would surely die at the hands of the wilderness in Pulse. I vowed to never let that happen, taking the images shown to me by the fal'Cie and thinking of them always.

**_Datalog – Chapter One – Stalked by Shadows_**

I found another chamber in the Ark, similar to my own and de-activated not that long ago. I did not know how long I had been walking the corridors but this one was still warm. Searching inside, I found that it was empty and that whoever or whatever had been in it was long gone.

Exiting the room, I suddenly noticed something – my gunblade was gone. I was unarmed. Entering the nearby armoury, I found that that was empty too. I knew that I could not go anywhere without a weapon and so concluded that I must have dropped it inside the chamber. Returning inside, I saw it propped up against the wall.

Now afraid as I knew that there was no way I could have left it in that position, I picked it up and swung around quickly, scanning the chamber for any sign of life. There was nothing there. I shook my hand, realising that I was afraid of nothing except for the shadows around me. As I put my weapon away, there was a sudden sharp jolt through my body.

The containment fields of the chamber activated and I suddenly panicked, realising that I would be vaporized or worse if I did not escape quickly. I scrambled up the wall on the far side, moving quickly and crawled into a vent, swinging my way around the outside of a dome and back into the corridor.

I ran down towards the control panel for the chamber but found nothing there except for some brand new claw marks, clearly visible across the machinery. Something had struck the containment field generator, causing it to go haywire and nearly destroy me.

I was now fully aware that something was out to get me and was now prepared to take steps to combat it. However, I knew that my foe was smart enough to set a trap to catch me and also powerful and ruthless enough to cause great devastation with a single swipe of a claw.

But what was this great creature that was now following me? I had no idea but I knew that when I moved, it would not be far behind. I set my sights on escaping from the Ark and the deadly threat that lay within its corridors.

So I did the only thing that I could – I turned and ran in the hope that I would find a way out before I could end up in the same way that the machinery had.

**_Datalog – Chapter One – For the New Sanctum_**

On the other side of the Ark, I finally found a large lift that could take me out of the First Ark and up to the surface above, wherever it might be. Activating the controls using some of the parts from the creatures that I had encountered, I managed to boost the power and prepared to board the lift.

Suddenly, I caught the glimpse of a human figure in the side of my vision but before I could react I found myself shooting across the room and slamming into some old Pulse machines. Dizzy, I tried to stand up but was pinned down with a claw around my neck. I looked up to see a man standing before me with claws and horns attached to his body.

"Who are you?" I spluttered and he reeled back. He was wearing an enormous set of armour which covered all the skin on his body. I could not see his face but could see the horns emerging through the top of his helmet.

"Lightning," he said but did not loosen his grip. "You know exactly why I am here. You are one of...them."

I tried to ask him who but before I could; he seized my arm with his other claw and brought it up to my face. It was covered with crystalline dust. He told me that I was infected by the crystal sickness – a deadly disease that was now returning after being absent for hundreds of years. I told him that I couldn't remember anything.

He threw me away again and then turned to face the opposite direction, thinking to himself and considering what his next action should be. I grabbed my gunblade and swung at him, smashing it into his head. Crying out, he sprung away.

"Who are you?!" I screamed at him. "Why are you here? Why am I here? Why do you have claws and horns? What are the effects of the crystal sickness?" He clambered up and then charged at me, claws up.

I hit him with my gunblade until he wasn't moving anymore. Pulling the helmet off, I discovered that he was from an unrecognisable species. Then, my device absorbed his remains and blinked for a few seconds. Then, it just blinked off. I wished that I could just disappear like that.

I couldn't.

**_Interlude: The Second Day_**

I knocked on the New Primarch's door and went in to be greeted by the most powerful man in the New Sanctum. Smiling at me, he beckoned to a seat in the centre of the room that housed his throne. I sat down and found myself being raised into the air.

"Lightning," he said. "It is so good to be working with you again. It seems like it has been too long." I nodded, agreeing with him.

"Are you sure that you should be coming to Oerba with us?" I asked him. "You are okay after the events that occurred on Cocoon?"

"I'm fine," he said. "But it is the people back in our camp that we should be worrying about. If we do not find a new source of power soon and a way to restore the food supplies, we will surely perish quickly."

"I am certain there will be something," I told him. "When we went to Oerba before on our journey, there were vast stations with new ways of generating power using just the wind or the water."

"I am not so interested in those elements," he said. "I want to learn more about this." He drew a crystal shard from his pocket and raised it into the light. The artificial sun far above shone on this, creating a beam of light that focused on one point far across the room.

"The power of light," the Primarch began. "These crystals can twist it and concentrate it. With this ability, we can harness the power of the sun far above us anywhere and everywhere. But in order to do this, we need to find more crystal which is the only substance strong enough to twist the intense light like this."

"So this is why we are going to Oerba?" I asked him. He nodded and then drew the crystal away. "I did not see any of these crystals while we were there before and neither Vanille nor Fang mentioned anything about them."

"It is an old Oerban secret," the Primarch told me. "Without great reason, they would not tell anybody about it. We have uncovered evidence that they were using these crystals in their home to power their machinery. The village must surely be sitting on top of a crystal mine of vast proportions. If we can uncover this resource, we will be able to restore power to the New Sanctum at once. The Oerba share a special affinity with crystals."

"If you believe this will work then it is surely worth a try," I told him. "When we arrive, I will lead the Cavalry down to uncover the mine and learn the truth behind these crystals."

Smiling, the Primarch nodded and wished me good luck. My seat moved down and I left the room. The New Primarch turned towards the vast window at the far end and then looked back at the enormous crystal structure holding up Cocoon. There was a slight look of sadness and regret on his face but it was gone instantly as he turned back and prepared to initiate the order to land.

**_Datalog – Chapter One – Into the Fire_**

I boarded the lift and began my ascent out of the Ark with my weapon at the ready for whatever I may have been about to encounter. I rose into a beautiful desert valley covered in flowers, the sand crisp in the sun. There was an enormous drop at the end, leading down to an open desert down below. The good news was that the valley was filled to the brim with PSICOM soldiers. The bad news was that they wanted to kill me.

They all turned their guns towards me and the head officer at the front warned me not to step any closer. I realised that they were terrified of me and the strange crystal sickness that was now affecting me. I pointed my gunblade at the head officer.

"Why so scared?" I asked when he drew back. "Why would I hurt you when we're on the same side?" He hesitated but did not drop his gun.

"Where's the chimera?" one of the minor officers asked him. He addressed the same question to me.

"Chimera?" I asked. "You mean that monstrosity that tried to attack me down below? I killed it before it could do any damage." The PSICOM soldiers reeled back in horror and I wondered exactly why they were so afraid of me.

"Drop your weapon!" the lead officer shouted. "Now! On the ground!" I took a few steps towards him and felt for my gravity control device. I had my first bit of luck in a long time – it was still there. I advanced towards the terrified troops.

"Why so scared?" I asked again and then suddenly activated the field. An enormous grey orb surrounded me as I dashed towards the PSICOM soldiers who were now firing on me. Leaping over them, I sliced through a few and then leaped off the edge of the canyon, shooting down towards the open sands below.

I landed below, safely out of the range of the PSICOM soldiers and began dashing towards an airship that I could see in the distance. Approaching it, I was suddenly assaulted by two chimera who leapt from the ship. Destroying both of them, I was about to board the ship when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck and collapsed to the ground.

I caught a glimpse of the Primarch standing over me with a band of PSICOM soldiers in the desert sands. I recognised his face as the ex-leader of the Cavalry Rygdea Enstone at the same time that I recalled what I had been sent to do in Oerba. Then everything went a white crystal colour and I heard a gunshot. After that, I felt nothing.

They carried my body on board the Gestahl and then prepared to fly away. I had another dream where I heard Barthandelus laughing. Then, I remembered the face of Rygdea and realised that something had been different about him.

I don't remember seeing a crystalline light in his eyes before.


End file.
